Location-Based Services

Personal drones are once again a hot topic in the media, but this time in a not so favorable light. Recent events, like the drone that landed at the White House and the FAA's proposed rules, have cast drones in a negative light. This latest news might very well sour the taste buds of the public even more. Several drones flying over San Fernando Valley in Los Angeles have been reported to be tracking smartphone and tablet locations. Their purpose? To eventually serve ads to mobile device owners.

Do you know what a Google ‘Local Guide’ is? It’s the latest re-branding of Google’s community outreach program, once dubbed “City Experts”, which was previously led by teams of Googlers actually doing stuff in your city. The ‘Local Guides’ program was announced last month, but google is getting serious about their crowdsourced restaurant review program. The feature is now baked straight into the Maps app, and apparently resides in both iOS and Android versions of Google Maps. It also steps right on Yelp’s toes.

As the sporting world steadies its gaze on Phoenix this weekend, there’s more than just a Super Bowl going on. The event, once just a game to decide the champions of the NFL, has morphed into a festival. Much like the NFL has grown, so has their coup de grace. If you’re weaving your way through the festivities orbiting the Super Bowl this weekend, you might even find your phone is getting in on the action, helping you find great stuff to do.

Context is important, and Facebook knows it. Scale is also important, but Facebook already has that one figured out with their billion-plus users. Combine the two, and you just might have a formula for success on several different levels. In New York, Facebook has placed beacons around the city in an attempt to better understand the locations of their users. Their reason? A new feature in the Facebook app, called 'Place Tips', will soon give you contextually based information based on your location.

It seems like Sony is putting to rest a few of its services, probably much to the dismay and even worry of its customers. Hot on the heels of an announcement that will swap out its Music Unlimited service for a Spotify-powered PlayStation Music, the tech giant is now announcing the impending shtudown of two PS Vita apps, Maps and YouTube. It isn't saying exactly why it is doing so and, in at least one case, isn't offering a replacement.

Getting yourself from one place to another is tough enough at times. Getting items moved around can be even more headache-inducing. Your mom wants you to take her favorite chair to get upholstered, but you’re at work and can’t get to her place and — it’s all just a mess. It would be nice if you had a friend who could help out, but everyone is busy, right? With Roadie, you can get your stuff transported with ease. The crowdsourced courier system is now open for business, and could end up being a big deal.

The Internet of Things might be coming to a head. You know that when anything and everything is becoming a "connected device". We've seen some attempt to make smart bikes more accessible, from simple addons to smart wheels. Now it's the turn of your bike grip to become the next smart bike part. Introducing smrtGRiPS, the world's first connected bike grip that promises to give users eyes-free navigation and worry-free location, without the hassles of obtrusive displays, messy installations, or expensive components.

Shazam has officially announced a really exciting project that will could you in the right mood, at the right time, no matter what. The music-finding and suggestion service has included the Gimbal SDK, which will bring you location-based recommendations. Using Gimbal’s impressive proximity awareness features, Shazam will be able to tell where you are, and recommend the appropriate musical soundtrack. Shazam CEO Rich Riley said it was a way for his company to “connect our users with the world around them.”

Nowadays, anything that can be made smarter is getting a facelift, from watches, to smoke detectors, and now to luggages. While we've seen our fair share of these smart traveling companions, like the BlueSmart connected carry-on a few months back, this Trunkster Kickstarter seems to promise all that and more. In addition to GPS tracking and a built-in weighing scale, these luggages also offer a new and fancy "zipperless" door design as well as something every mobile user wished they had at an airport: a high capacity charger.

If Santa brought you an iPhone for Christmas, you’re likely still in love with your new iDevice. Of all the knocks on any iPhone, battery life is among the most notable, with the small-ish battery of an iPhone tending to need a charge daily. In my experience, though, the iPhone 6 can last quite a bit longer than your work day and commute home. I’ve even been able to take it on weekend jaunts without needing to plug it in. Here’s how.